7 September 2012
“Species” Features IUCN SSC and Specialist Groups’ Reports
story highlights

The SSC Quadrennium Report 2008-2012 highlights that a greater focus on human-wildlife interactions will be placed in the 2013–2016 quadrennium.

The Dragonfly Specialist Group notes that the world's focus is still largely on "fluffy-furry animals and spectacular projects," and cites the need for information about the distribution, trends and conservation needs of the species before any conservation action can be done.

September 2012: The special Quadrennium 2008-2012 issue of Species, a magazine of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC), features the SSC Quadrennium report, along with Specialist Group and other groups and task forces reports.

The SSC Quadrennium Report on 2008-2012 highlights an October 2009 meeting with the Chair of the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP) to plan future work on sustainable use and human-wildlife interactions. According to the report, it was decided that major new initiatives on both topics could not be advanced simultaneously, and so sustainable use was prioritized. However, the report notes, a greater focus on human-wildlife interactions will be placed on the 2013–2016 quadrennium.

Among many Specialist Group reports, the African Elephant Specialist Group highlights the following challenges: a recent upsurge in poaching and the illegal trade in ivory; escalating habitat loss and fragmentation; growing human-elephant conflict; and identification of negative localized impacts on habitats by elephants at high densities.

The Bear Specialist Group notes the following challenges: commercial poaching; loss of forested habitat; small separated populations; conflicts with people stemming from damage to crops and predation of livestock; and difficulty gaining sufficient influence to persuade governments and industry to reduce these impacts.

The Canid Specialist Group highlights that canids antagonize human interests, often resulting in persecution, and that the key challenge is to increase tolerance and mitigate conflict.

Finally, the Dragonfly Specialist Group notes that the world’s focus is still largely on “fluffy-furry animals and spectacular projects” and that invertebrates get less attention and funding. It thus highlights the need for information about the distribution, trends and conservation needs of the species before any conservation action can be done. [Publication: Species, Issue 54]

related posts